The most anticipated video games of 2023

Now that we’re putting a bow on 2022, it’s time to look ahead at the games we’re getting in 2023. The new year already has several excellent games on schedule, with the promise of several more to be added to the calendar. From Legend of Zelda to Assassin’s Creed, we’ve got several familiar franchises making a return in 2023.

Most of the first quarter of the year has already been filled out. Most of the games with solid release dates coming in January-April. However, there are multiple games that are scheduled more generally for 2023 without confirmed dates. We’ll still count those unless we’re given reason to think otherwise. Also, at the bottom of the article will be a list of upcoming games that do not have release dates, but we’d be very pleased to see in 2023.

Delays are still an unfortunate reality of the game development world, so it’s very likely that not all of these games will launch in 2023. Out of the 20 games I mentioned on 2022’s list, 6 were delayed out of the year’s release window. So it’s possible some of the games on this list won’t come out in 2023, though we’ll keep hope alive as best as possible.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The upcoming sequel to Breath of the Wild won the Most Anticipated award at this year’s Game Awards — and thoroughly deserved it. Few other games have had so much hype pre-release. Tears of the Kingdom was delayed out of 2022 (you might hear me say that a lot), but hopefully we’ll finally see it release this year. This new title follows Link and Zelda’s story after the climactic finale of the previous game as they attempt to rebuild Hyrule. It launches on the Switch on May 12.

Fire Emblem Engage

Riding closely on the heels of the hit Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Intelligent Systems is launching a new title in the tactical RPG series. Engage is set on the continent of Elyos and stars a mysterious amnesiac named Alear. They must join with a new set of characters to defeat the Fell Dragon. The new game mechanic in this title is the Emblem Rings, which allows Alear to summon heroes from previous games to fight alongside them. It launches on Nintendo Switch on January 20.

Forspoken

Square Enix’s new IP, Forspoken, was yet another title that we almost got in 2022 — but it would have been released in close contact with God of War Ragnarök. All told, this gives this open-world action-adventure game more room to breathe. Response to protagonist Frey has been… mixed, but the actual gameplay looks like fun. The developers also released a demo that’s currently available to play. The game launches on PlayStation 5 and PC on January 23.

Starfield/Redfall

I’m sticking Zenimax’s two upcoming titles in the same boat because both were originally scheduled for a 2022 release and we’re now supposedly getting them this coming year. Starfield is Bethesda’s massive space RPG, which casts the player as an adventurer caught between major powers. Redfall is Arkane’s co-op game about saving a small town from vampires. Both are now tentatively scheduled to launch on Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime in the first half of 2023.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

The sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order was revealed earlier this year, with a more detailed trailer dropping during The Game Awards. It follows the story of former Jedi Cal Kestis, as he seeks shelter and answers during the rise of the Empire. The game promises more intense lightsaber combat, new planets to explore and new characters to meet. It launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on March 17.

Dead Space

The beginning of the year is always the best time for survival horror, and we’re getting a doozy with Motive Studio’s remake of the original Dead Space. The new title adds new features to the classic game, including voice acting for hero Isaac Clarke. The remake launches on January 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Atomic Heart

Now, here’s an interesting new IP. Atomic Heart is a first-person shooter set in an alternate universe ’50s-era Soviet Union. The gameplay is styled after Bioshock and similar titles. As the trailer shows, the primary enemies appear to be unhinged biomechanical robots. The protagonist also has special powers to help combat these threats. It launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One and PC on February 21.

Hogwarts Legacy

Yet another 2022 game delayed to this coming year, Hogwarts Legacy appears to be finally ready for the world. Set decades before Harry Potter is born, the new game allows players the chance to experience Hogwarts and the Wizarding World more fully than they ever have before. It follows a teenage transfer student who wields some kind of mysterious power. It launches on February 10 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and later for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Assassin’s Creed: Mirage

Ubisoft held a special event in 2022 to celebrate the franchise’s 15-year anniversary. During the event, it revealed the new games in the works, with the first to be released being Mirage. A return to the series’ origins (especially the Prince of Persia series) the new game follows the life of the tormented Assassin Basim in 9th Century Baghdad. It’ll feature more stealth-based gameplay, akin to the first games in the series. It’s scheduled for a 2023 launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Octopath Traveler II

Square Enix announced the latest entry in its beautiful 2.5D RPG series earlier this year. The new entry follows a new cast of eight colorful characters in a new setting, the continent of Solistia. Like the previous installment, every character has their own skills and goals along with more detailed animations compared with the previous game. It also has a new day/night mechanic that affects how each character’s story progresses. It launches on PS5, Switch, PS4 and PC on February 24.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

Bayonetta 3 released this year to the gratification of its patient fans, and we did not expect a new entry in the series for quite some time. However, Nintendo announced at the Game Awards that it was telling a new story in the Bayonetta series, set during her early years. Little Cereza (as Bayonetta was then called) must go on an adventure in a fairy forest to help her mother. Bayonetta Origins launches on Switch on March 17.

Baldur’s Gate III

Larian Studios has worked on the newest Baldur’s Gate title for years, trickling out updates in early access. Now it’s finally launching in its entirety. Baldur’s Gate III features several heroes who are infected with a parasite. While searching for a cure, they become involved in an ongoing conflict in the area. The game will remain in early access until the full version launches on PC in August 2023.

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Capcom has found great success remaking its older, more successful Resident Evil titles. Now it’s releasing a new version of one of its most popular games, Resident Evil 4. The updated version of Resident Evil 4 appears to follow the same general story as the original, but with a graphical overhaul and gorgeous new character models. It launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PC on March 24.

Diablo IV

Fans of the Diablo series have waited quite some time for the next installment in the series (that wasn’t a controversial mobile game). Blizzard revealed Diablo IV in 2019, and its release finally draws near, and players will take on the new threat, Lilith. In addition to its usual gameplay, the new game will have PvP and open-world elements. Blizzard has announced five character classes and five regions to visit. Diablo IV launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One and PC on June 6.

Final Fantasy XVI

2023 looks to be a banner year for Final Fantasy, as fans might be getting the next FFVII installment (see below) as well as the new numbered installment. Final Fantasy XVI is a European Gothic title starring Clive, a vengeful warrior who finds himself drawn into a multi-nation conflict involving Eikons (summons). After several years of teases, Square Enix finally revealed more about the game this year. It’s scheduled to release on PS5 on June 22.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

A follow-up to the Arkham series, Kill the Justice League shifts the focus from DC Universe’s heroes to some of its most iconic villains. Rocksteady’s latest action-adventure game shows the Suicide Squad trying to thwart the invasion of Brainiac, who has brainwashed several members of the titular League in Metropolis. The announcement that the late Kevin Conroy will reprise his role as Batman is a welcomed, but bittersweet send-off for DC fans. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 26.

Street Fighter 6

New fighters and a fresh art style are bringing Street Fighter into the new console generation. The new title features a single-player story with a customizable player character and explorable environments with action-style gameplay. The actual fights function around a new battle system based around the Drive Gauge. A collection of new faces and old familiars are on the roster, with SFV latecomer Luke leading the charge. Street Fighter 6 launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One and PC on June 2.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Now that Insomniac has made one fantastic Spider-Man game (and proved wasn’t a fluke with Miles Morales), they have to escalate. In a Spider-Man story, there’s no better way to do that than to introduce Venom, and getting Tony Todd to voice him is a coup. Both Spider-Men will face off in the new game against Venom and Kraven the Hunter. There’s no official release date, except a general 2023 timeframe. It’ll launch on the PS5.

Dead Island 2

After so many years of development hell and silence, Dead Island 2 is finally shambling to its launch in 2023. Zombies have taken over Los Angeles and the uninfected must survive the quarantined city. Developers Dambuster (who have inherited from several other studios) have changed up the combat mechanics from previous Dead Island titles, adding a crafting system and a rage mechanic. Dead Island 2 releases on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One and PC on April 28.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Team Ninja’s newest action RPG takes the developer’s signature gameplay to Three Kingdoms-era China. With a customizable player character, players can choose from several classes and mythical beings to aid them in combat. I couldn’t exactly tell you anything about the game’s story, except that it’s about the player character fighting monsters and demons, but the gameplay sells it pretty well all by itself. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and Xbox One on March 3.

Other games currently scheduled to come out in 2023:

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
• Lies of P
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Sons of the Forest
• The Day Before
• Skull & Bones
• Payday 3
• Remnant II
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Hearts of Chernobyl
• Stellar Blade
• Colossal Cave
• The Wolf Among Us 2
• The Lords of the Fallen
• Alan Wake 2
• Company of Heroes 3
• Crime Boss: Rockay City
• Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened Remake
• Like a Dragon: Ishin!
• Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
• Ark 2
• Scars Above
• Fae Farms
• Witchfire
• Deliver Us Mars
• Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
• Wild Hearts
• We Were Here Forever
• Blue Protocol
• Nightingale
• Dune: Awakening
• Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
• Pikmin 4
• Synduality
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• Arc Raiders
• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
• Replaced
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
• Horizon: Call of the Mountain
• The Finals

Games we’re looking forward to with no current release date

Most of the games on the above list have at least a tentative 2023 release date. The below titles don’t have any attached release date. We just know they’re coming at some point. Once again, we can be hopeful that some of these will launch in the next year.

• Marvel’s Wolverine
• Silent Hill 2 Remake
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Avowed
• Fable
• Tekken 8
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake
• Hades 2
• Inkulinati
• The Outer Worlds 2
• The Expanse: A Telltale Series
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
• Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
• The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
• System Shock Remastered